European Cultural Heritage Days in Armenia

11 September 2013

The 2013 European Heritage Days (EHD) were officially launched on 31 August in Yerevan, Armenia, which currently holds the Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.
Official events were preceded by a press conference held on 30 August, which included guests from the Council of Europe, the European Commission (EC), the Ministry of Culture of Armenia, and the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Traian Hristea.
European Heritage Days are considered the most widely celebrated participatory cultural initiatives shared by the citizens of Europe, involving up to 20 million people every year. The initiative was launched by the Council of Europe in 1985 and the EC got involved in 1999. Since then the two organisations have managed the programme jointly in 50 European countries, when doors are opened to tens of thousands of monuments and sites for free in September each year. Armenia joined EHD in 2000.

Ambassador Hristea stated that cultural heritage was an important factor for the economic and social development of Armenia: ‘Armenia’s cultural heritage deserves to be known by as many people as possible; not only Armenian citizens, but also European and worldwide tourists. Culture and cultural heritage are also vectors of the European Union to promote European values, such as respect for human rights, freedom, solidarity, protection and promotion of the cultural and linguistic diversity.’
Within the framework of Armenia’s Chairmanship in the Council of Europe the country also hosted the annual meetings of the EHD National Coordinators on 30 August to 1 September. EHD National Coordinators, cultural heritage experts, and officials from over 30 countries participated in this pan-European event.

On 31 August and 1 September, numerous historical and cultural monuments, as well as over 50 museums, were opened to the general public. Additional cultural events were organised.

‘The aim of these events is to raise the awareness of European citizens about abandoned cultural heritage in Europe, to promote intercultural dialogue and to foster cultural diversity. We all get to know our heritage and the heritage of the bigger European family better,’ said Arev Samuelyan, the Deputy Minister of Culture of Armenia.

Stating its solidarity with the European culture, the Historical and Archeological Museum-Reserve of Erebuni joined the EHD on 30 August with an introductory photo exhibition. It presented pictures of Rome, a city approximately the same age as Yerevan. The pictures were taken by Karine Danielyan, an architect, during a diplomatic mission in Italy.

‘Over the last several years the European Union’s Delegation to Armenia has supported European Heritage Days. It is a part of our concrete efforts to strengthen the relationship between the European Union and Armenia,’ said Hristea, who was present at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

A new interactive website, www.europeanheritagedays.com, was also launched to provide details of cultural event and historical sites open to the public across Europe.

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